Top 5 Tips for Teaching World War II

World War I and World War II are 2 of the most fascinating events to teach and learn about in US and World History. I personally love all the different things that took place during both wars that teaching them in 3-4 weeks does not seem to do it justice.

My philosophy in regards to helping teachers is to give them all the resources you can and let them make the best decision for their own classroom. One of the reasons I make everything editable and changeable is that just because it works in my classroom does not mean it will work in yours.

Recently I created 2 bundles that I sell on Teachers Pay Teachers that address this very issue. They are my WWI Mega Bundle and WWII Mega Bundle. I have included more than a month of curriculum and over 100- worth of resources that any teacher would love to have. I have been developing these resources for 22 years and I guarantee they work and are effective in teaching WWI and WWII.

Here are my top 5 tips for teaching WWI:

Pre-test: At the beginning of this unit I always start with a pre-test. This is a great way to see what the students know as well as spend some time on what is really important during the course of the unit. This can also be a great post test to make sure the students learned what they were supposed to.

1940’s Presentation: This is a giant PPT presentation. This PPT is only supposed to be used for 1-2 days MAX. I allow the students to finish it in class as a flipped classroom assignment (2 more days). While they are working on the PPT there are a lot of other things the students are responsible for so there is very little down time. At the end of the 4 days, I spend a day having the students write down 2-3 questions and answering those questions either in a group or just asking me to fill in some of the gaps. This is a great way to make sure there is no confusion about what was going on with WWII.

WWII from Space: This is a must show following the teachingg of WWII. It is bar none the best WWII video I have ever seen. It does a fantastic job of summarizing the war and discussing some of the major events that occurred during the war. My guide that I created is fantastic and goes well with the video.

The Story of US Ep. 10: This is another must show for WWII. I think this does the best job of hitting most of the American events that took place during the war. It is difficult to teach everything that happened during WWII however, this does a great job of showing the students in a way that keeps their attention. I typically show all of the Story of US episodes following each unit that is being taught.

Crash Course US History: This again is a must see for the students that are not learning or who have not gotten the information that they needed to get during the course of the WWII unit. I highly recommend it as well as my $1.50 guide that goes with each crash course episode.

PBS Nazi Mega Weapons: I have to mention this one as this is one of the group series that was ever produced on WWII. I have watched all of season 1 and 2 and will be making guides for season 3 this year. If you have not watched any of these, take a look. Great stuff.

Please feel free to email me with any questions regarding the bundle for sale or anything else that may come up.

What do you teach? I teach Economics, or Virtual Enterprise, a simulated business class where students build a business from scratch. I also teach US History and World History. I have also been hired by Saddleback College to teach a Business 1 class.
Where did you to college? I went to Saddleback Jr. College for 3 years and then transferred up to UCSB for 3 glorious years. I have a teaching credential in Social Studies and a PE Credential as well as my Masters in Education.
How long have been at Mission Viejo High School? I have been at Mission since 1995 and have really enjoyed it.
How did you become a teacher? I was going to go into the auto industry but I had a change of heart. I really wanted to help students get through their difficult years and change the way I was taught in school. I felt like I was not prepared for college so here I am to help them great ready for college.
What is your favorite thing to do? I really love watching my kids learn new things or letting me teach them but on a selfish note I love to surf perfect 4-6 foot waves.